Language
engResearch statement
The current scoping review was designed to identify recent research relating to the development of interventions for ‘affected others’. The term ‘affected others’ relates to family members, partners, friends and colleagues of individuals with gambling problems. The scoping review aimed to explore (1) the prevalence (2) socio-demographic characteristics (3) assessment of affected other status and their characteristics (4) harms experienced (5) coping strategies (5) interventions for affected others. A literature search conducted in a range of bibliographic databases located 3,383 studies. Of these, 79 empirical studies and four systematic reviews met the inclusion criteria. Key findings are discussed, including mapping of the available literature, which identified a majority of studies contributed to questions relating to harms (k=56, 71%) and interventions (k=36, 46%), followed by coping strategies (k=22,28%), assessment (k=15, 19%), prevalence (k=9, 11%) and socio-demographic characteristics (k=4, 5%). Prevalence estimates ranged from 2% to 19%, depending on the definition employed, rigor of measurement and timeframe. There were mixed findings related to socio-demographic characteristics of affected others. 22 instruments were identified for the assessment of affected others. A range of harms experienced by affected others are discussed, including intimate partners initial lack of awareness of problems, despite the severity. Coping strategies included non-professional support or informal support. Finally, interventions are discussed, with affected others only making up approximately 15% to 26% of people seeking support from gambling treatment services. The findings of this scoping review can be used to inform clinical, research, and policy-decision making in relation to affected others. In the second part of the current report, interventions for affected others across the addictions is investigated. Specifically, this section aims to (1) describe the interventionsPublication classification
A6 Research report/technical paperPublisher
Victorian Responsible Gambling FoundationPlace of publication
Melbourne, Vic.
